Last Ride
by Writegirl
Summary: DLeila: The journey back from castle Chayne was longer, and more interesting, than either hunter planned on.Chapter 2 rated M. Chapter 5 extended due to popular demand :
1. Chapter 1

"I guess we have a few more days of this."

Leila looked at her traveling companion, but he didn't respond. Not that she expected him to, not after the silent treatment of the last day and a half. "You can ride tomorrow, you know," she told him, her eyes on the oversized hat he wore. "It's not like I can't walk."

A brief nod met her declaration, and she sighed. At least he was acknowledging she existed again.

The Hunter turned her eyes to the path in front of them. The high, rock walls of the mountain passes had given way to the Northern Reaches, a nearly unbroken stretch of forest that grew from East Harbor to the Bridges of Mardon; a thousand miles of tall trees and underbrush, most of it still uncharted, the vast majority untamed.

Aqua eyes turned upwards. The sun had disappeared, but the Northern Road, or what remained of it, was a wide swath cut through the trees. The sun shone down on the rough, broken pavement most of the day before disappearing beneath them. A sun that grew steadily hotter as they moved south.

"We could start traveling at night," she suggested. "It would be easier on you, wouldn't it?" And she wouldn't feel nearly as guilty about riding if he didn't have to walk while the sun was out.

"We'll travel during the day," was the flat, almost monotone reply.

The blond continued her scrutiny of him as they traveled on. She couldn't understand why the dhampir was acting this way. She thought they'd forged a friendship of sorts on the journey back to civilization. They even started having conversations that were more than two or three words. All that changed yesterday.

That's when D stopped riding behind her, settling for keeping a brisk pace next to the mecha-horse. Their short, even amusing conversations came to a dead halt. The hunter started them traveling as soon as the sun was up, and seldom halted before dusk. Not that she was complaining. With the hard pace he was setting, they were making good time back to civilization.

She just wished she knew the reason.

The mecha-horse stopped. "We'll camp here."

Leila jumped down. She already knew that protesting was stupid. D would just stare at her with those gray eyes until she gave in and did whatever he wanted.

"You have rations to last two days, three if you limit yourself." The dampire took the mecha-horses reins. "We should reach the first frontier town in less than a week."

"I can hunt if I need to." Leila shook out her bedroll. "What are you going to eat?"

The dhampir didn't answer.

Leila decided to ignore him as she went through her saddlebags. The wound on her chest was itching terribly, a good itch. It was healing; the pink of new flesh showing between the neat row of stitches. Soon, they'd have to be removed, and if they didn't reach a town by then she'd have to ask the other hunter.

_D,_ she said to herself as she pulled out the vials of medicine. _What kind of name is just 'D' for a person, even a half-breed? _She was sure it stood for something. Nobles were a stuck-up lot, tied up in titles and honors they had no right to. He had to have been brought up among them; she couldn't imagine a woman raising a half-breed among humans. The child would have been killed the minute its nature was known.

Then again, Leila couldn't imagine a vampire killing its own kind, either.

_Half vampire,_ she corrected. Maybe by denying his name, D thought to deny all in him that wasn't human; another way to remove him from who and what he was. She'd done much the same after her mother's death. Shara, the scared little girl with no family, had died the day her mother was stoned.

_Still, he could have at least chosen _all _of a name._

* * *

"This isn't helping, you know." 

"Quiet."

D tried to ignore the parasite as he tied his horse down for the night.

"You're just torturing yourself. You should have left her to make her own way. Then we wouldn't be in this mess."

The dhampir tightened his hand on the horse's brindle, the hard leather biting into his palm. "I said quiet."

If only he could have left her. The Marcus Brother's tank was demolished, the small bike she used nothing but twisted metal. He couldn't leave the woman alone in hostile territory. Their path lead them Southwest, into the Frontier and then the Inner Territories. Without a mecha-horse it would take her weeks to reach Bosdale, the nearest village of any size that had regular conveyances to the inland cities. That is, if she survived the animals no doubt ranging through the mountains. And the Barbaroi. And any other number of mutants or men who would see a woman alone as easy prey.

"You know, you're not nearly as bad as you like to pretend."

The dhampir's grip on the brindle tightened even more, and he held it for a few seconds to get his point across: he didn't want to hear any more on the subject. When he released his hand there was blissful silence, then, "How long do you think you can hold out?"

"Long enough."

He ignored the snort that answered.

D glanced at the woman under discussion. Leila was already sorting through the supplies she scavenged from the Marcus brother's vehicle. The small clearing was perhaps a hundred yards away from the road, a bare patch of grass covered earth surrounded by towering trees no more than ten feet across. Her scent wafted on the air, and D turned away, cursing as he felt his canines begin to elongate.

"'Long enough' eh?" His hand chuckled. "You can't even get within two feet of her without damn near losing control. There's five days left of this, you know."

The rummaging stopped, and there was the smell of ozone as the portable heater was turned on. "I know."

"You could always-"

"No."

The symbiote continued to grumble, but D ignored him. There was the sound of rippling cloth, the smell of dried blood and medicine. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Leila changing the dressing on her wound, dropping the soiled bandages into a small pot already filled with water set in the cooking aperture. The device was of her own design; larger than most portable heater combo units, more agile for cooking for more than one person. As she moved, her still open top revealed the inner slopes of her breasts.

D stood up and walked out of the circle of light made by the blue flame. Leila didn't comment on his leaving, she never did. Just as she never questioned the strange voice she sometimes heard when his parasite grew too loud. It was just as well. He wouldn't have told her what he was doing in the trees anyway.

The dhampir made a sound dangerously close to a sigh as darkness closed around him. Five days. Five days of wanting, of needing, of fighting his own instincts. He doubted if she even knew what she was doing to him, and if she did, he was grateful to her for not mentioning it. Her body was ripe, ready to be taken, and the scent of her was threatening the iron control he kept himself under. He hadn't been this tempted in…

His thoughts flitted to another time, another place. An image of Doris, wet and naked from her bath, offering herself to him, flashed and then was gone.

"Cant' get away from blonds, can you D?" The symbiote teased in his gravely voice. "Most men wouldn't run in the opposite direction when there was a willing woman just waiting for you to-"

D used his left hand to grip the hilt of his dagger, effectively smothering the voice driving him insane. If the benefits didn't outweigh the problems, he would have long since cut off the hand and given himself some peace. After a moment the muttering faded, and he relaxed his hold. Satisfied that he would have silence at least for a small while, the hunter turned sharply to the right, following the smell of running water.

The river was small, barely larger than a creek, but the water was like ice. The dhampir filled his canteens before removing his hat and dunking his head, the cold water soothing on his overheated skin. A strange feeling, that. His skin was normally cool to the touch, not the death-like cold of a true vampire, but the lack of heat was noticeable. Now it seemed he burned in preparation for an act he had no intention of committing

His symbiote was right. He could take Leila and she would put up only a token resistance. He'd known that from the moment they first saw each other. His senses had sought out the most susceptible member of the Marcus Brothers immediately, her large jewel-toned eyes dilated with arousal just seconds after seeing him.

The hunter cursed silently. Even when he tried not to, he still ended up thinking about her.

* * *

Leila heard the dhampir leave, but didn't look up from her pot of bandages. He would be gone for an hour or more before coming back and lying down without a word. More than once she thought about following him, but knew it would do no good. She had faith in her tracking skills, but didn't think they stretched that far. He had better hearing, and if he didn't hear her approach, she was sure he could smell her. 

_I need a bath, _she thought to herself, pulling her top closed. The brush of cool air against her skin was wonderful after the heat of the day. The skin-tight material gave adequate protection against everything but a direct attack, and it also trapped sweat. And grime. She'd taken only the bare essentials when she raided the caravan, and that didn't include the bulky skirt and shirt that were her only other clothes. _Probably why he disappears every night. I must smell terrible._

The hunter pulled out her goggles and accessed her maps. The Braman River broke into several smaller tributaries just north of where they were, and at least one substantial one went through this area, not three hundred yards away. She might not have a change of clothes, but she could at least wash out the worst of the sweat from what she was wearing. Cold water would feel good after the hot day, the heat of which lingered into the night.

Leila checked the map again. The river was the same direction D went in. Well, she could walk a few yards upstream, and hopefully he wouldn't notice her.

It never occurred to her that she might notice him.

* * *

D counted the glassy red pills before dropping two into his goblet. Deep, crimson color bubbled up from the bottom as the pills dissolved. His supply was running low since he began doubling the dosage to counteract his hunger. The combination of dried blood, proteins, and vitamins was a bland substitute for fresh blood, but it provided sustenance without the need for a victim. It was also more nourishing than the blood of animals, most of which had fled the area when they felt his presence. 

"_You _won't last another two days at this rate, if you're so worried about other people running out of supplies."

D dropped the rest of the pills into their pouch. "I've gone without before."

"Sure," the symbiote conceded. "When you were alone. Traveling only at night."

The sound the dhampir made in the back of his throat bordered on aggravation. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Honestly?" the hand bulged outward, forming the shape of a lined face. "I'm a hand, this is the most entertainment I get when we're not hunting down vampires." The creature let out a chuckle. "Besides, I love watching you tear yourself up fighting your 'baser' instincts. Face it, D, you love torturing yourself."

The half-breed was silent for long moments as he drank. A shiver went through him as his body processed the liquid. Almost immediately the sounds of the forest were louder, sharper. The night was brighter, the smells more pronounced.

"What, don't tell me I struck a nerve."

"Not at all." The dhampir began removing his clothes. He'd just remembered something about his symbiote. Something that would ensure he had silence.

"Hey, what're ya doing?" He could feel the creature stirring, the creased face bulging out from his hand and turning as much as it was able towards the creek. "You're not actually thinking about going in there?"

D didn't answer.

"There are creatures that wait in places like this, you know." The symbiote sounded almost frantic. "Not to mention that your powers are reduced. You know, the whole running water thing?" When its host began to wade into the chill water, the symbiote made a face before melting back into the palm.

* * *

_Cold, cold, cold._

The vampire hunter singsonged the words in her head as she stepped into the stream. It was a lot colder than it looked. Hell, there should be ice on the surface of the stuff. "The next town, I'm taking a bath," she promised herself as the water lapped at her knees. A long, hot bath in a real tub. Not the cat baths she was forced to take while sharing quarters with four men.

She another step, a rock underfoot turned, and Leila found herself submerged to her chest, the cold stealing her voice so all that emerged were choked gasps. _I'm gonna freeze my tits off!_ As fast as she could the woman climbed out of the stream and began scrubbing herself down with a piece of rough cotton. The soap was handmade; a brown, slimy stuff that burned if left on too long; the last of the supplies they brought before taking the job. The night air was blissfully warm after her dunking, and she waited as long as possible before wading back into the current.

"Clean again," she said out loud as she wrapped herself in a blanket. All that was left now was to rinse out her jumpsuit, which she did as swiftly as possible. By the time she was done her hands were cramped from the cold, but her clothes didn't smell like a neglected barn, either

She wondered what D was doing. Half-breeds were rare, so she didn't study them as assiduously as she did the Nobles. Half of her wondered if the hunter was going after prey. He certainly didn't eat the simple stew she made when they stopped. He barely drank any water.

_Half-breed vampires are different, _she remembered Borgoth telling her, but he knew about as much as the average person when it came to them. Mostly, they just treated them like vampires who could walk in sunlight. _Just avoid them if you can._

Easier said than done, now that she found herself traveling with one. He was beyond handsome. _Beautiful, _that's what he was. An image of D came to mind from when she buried him. He was solid muscle under that armor, but as light as someone half his size. She recalled the silk of his hair against her, the strange, spicy scent that seemed to waft from him…

The memory sent a spike of arousal through her, and Leila sighed. Great, now she needed another dunking, just to cool her down. She eyed the swiftly moving current. On second thought, maybe not. The blond hunter slid on her boots and walked back to camp, her still damp-clothes slung over one arm. If she had to wait for her clothes to dry, she could at least do it by the fire.

She took less than ten steps when a sound caught her attention. Splashing. _Fish!_ Fresh fish after days of dried rations would be heaven, and it would spare her rations for the night. She checked her gun, belted awkwardly under the blanket, just in case. More than one kind of mutant made its home in lakes and rivers. Then again, depending on what kind of mutant it was, she just might kill it anyway. It meant getting close enough to it to use her knife so her kill wouldn't be swept downstream, but if it was small enough she'd risk getting close. They could spare a day to smoke any leftovers.

Quietly, the blond crept upriver, her suit folded into a tight bundle. She pulled her knife, and crept to the edge of the tree line. The water here moved slower, the creek stretching out to form a pool several feet across. Something made a large wave against the opposite bank. Pale flesh breached the water for a moment, and slid back beneath the surface. The pool was still for several moments, and then the creature burst out of the water.

Leila stared.

D was standing in the middle of the pool, facing upstream. The water barely came to his waist, revealing the body his armor hinted at. The moonlight gleamed off the hard, chiseled muscles of his chest, abdomen, and arms. Wet hair clung to his skin like a dark veil, glistening to his waist. It was so long that the last few inches swirled in the gentle current. She had seen vampires by night before, their bloodless skin pasty, but D glowed in the scant light.

Something wafted on the air, a sweet, spicy scent, and Leila inhaled deeply. The scent filled her lungs, burrowed under her skin with a gentle tingling that traveled along her arms and legs raising goose flesh. At once the tingle rushed into her center, filling her with heat, with need. She was vaguely aware that her knife slipped from her hand and landed in the soft earth at her feet. Information battered at the edges of her haze, but she pushed it away. The only thing that mattered was the euphoria, the elation, which coursed through her.

She was lost.

* * *

Hi all! This was written in response to the depressing lack of D/Leila fics out there.Thank you for reading! More chapter to come in two days :) 


	2. River Dreams

D broke the surface of the water as silently as he entered. The swim relieved most of the energy burning through him, the cold water doing wonders curing the desire that thrummed through him almost constantly. He'd keep them close to the river from now on, if just to give himself some relief.

_She should have rebound her wounds by now, _he mused, keeping his hand submerged. He was still in no mood for its taunts. An image of Leila flashed through his mind, the soft curve of her breasts as he bound her wounds, the smell of her blood as it pulsed beneath his hands. He could see her beneath him, writhing as he thrust into her, his fangs teasing the delicate skin of her breast, _screaming _his name in the night. It would be so sweet to take her, to feel those warm, well-muscled thighs at his waist, to pin her hands above her head as he pushed into her harder, faster.

A dull, warm pleasure/pain in his gums brought D out of his thoughts. His fangs were fully distended, upper _and _lower. He was hard despite the cold of the river, his flesh straining. The dhampir forced himself to calm down, willed his fangs to retract. Perhaps he would stay here longer, until he had himself under control again.

A sound at the river bank made him turn. Leila was standing there, her knife gleaming at her feet. She was looking directly at him, but seemed to be far away; her large, emerald eyes dilated so that only the barest sliver of blue showed at the edges. The wind shifted and he could smell her arousal, felt it claw at him. His gums ached, the sharp tips of his fangs digging into his tongue.

There was something…wrong… with her. She didn't move, didn't speak, only stared at him with that far away expression. His own scent was near palpable, swirling over the water and wrapping itself around his prey.

_This isn't her, _he told himself. _It's a response to the pheromones pouring off you in waves. She doesn't even know what she's doing._ As he watched she smiled, a soft, sweet smile, and the blanket she wore dropped to the ground, followed by her gun belt. Her scent increased, drowning him as she stepped into the pool, not even flinching from the cold.

D was frozen. A small part of him remembered the tales his mother told him, of wood nymphs and water sprites that could entrance with their very presence. Leila was in front of him; the water lapping at her stomach, her wound an angry slash across her porcelain skin. She reached up, hand caressing his cheek as she leaned into him.

He moved without thinking. D's hand closed around hers, pulling it away from his face. He focused on not breathing, on pushing her away, even as his body called out for hers. Slowly, her look of dazed rapture began to ebb, replaced by confusion. Her pupils constricted, from large orbs to sharp points almost lost in the blue of her eyes.

Leila didn't know what happened. The last thing she remembered was standing on the bank, realizing that the fish she was hunting was actually her dhampir companion. Now she was standing in the middle of the pool, a cold, unyielding pressure wrapped around one hand. Her eyes followed the odd hills and hollows of the wall in front of her up to a face, a familiar face. D was staring down at her, eyes glowing in the darkness. The tips of his fangs glimmered. "Wha-"

He stepped away from her and dropped her hand.

"I'm sorry." That's all the dhampir said before he was gone.

Leila's hands flew to her throat, but she could feel no punctures there, nothing to indicate that she'd been bitten.

* * *

"Now that was _almost _entertaining."

"Shut up."

"Oh, come on. There she was, naked, shining, a fluorescent beacon that just screamed 'take me, please take me!' And what do you do? You walk away. Your father-"

"Silence, or I'll cut you off and keep you in my saddlebag until we reach Harbor Bridge."

D had done it before, when the symbiote teased him for being unable to finish a contract. The vampire the town was threatened by was actually a half-breed teen going through the Change: a period in which the bloodlust was painful, the need to hunt undeniable. The girl's mother tried as hard as she could to keep her daughter from hunting, allowing the girl to draw from her until she was near death, but it wasn't enough. In the end, he'd given them money - a portion of the bounty on the girl's head - and told them to leave. The symbiote had had a field day until he was removed.

"Now, no need to be hasty," the normally snide voice was chastised. "I'm just pointing out the fact that _you _were ready, willing, and able, as was she, and you turned her away. It's not like you can't enjoy a woman without turning her. And you can't tell me you don't want her."

The dhampir didn't stop until he was standing in their small camp. Nothing was disturbed. As he stared into the darkness D scrubbed the water off his skin. After the ice of the pool the cloth was abrasive, leaving a cold burn in its wake. "That has nothing to do with it."

"Then what does?" The creature's face bulged out of his palm again, a sign he was truly annoyed with the half-breed. "You know, you _can _be happy, if just for a little while. Say, thirty minutes? It wouldn't hurt you, and it wouldn't hurt her. Besides, it's not like you've never-"

Silver flashed through the night, stopping a hair's breadth above his wrist.

"He-hey! Fine! I'm just telling you what you don't want to hear. You know, like a _friend _would? You want quiet, I'll give you quiet. Just don't think I'll be up to doing anything for a while." With that the face disappeared.

D finished dressing in peace. His sharp ears listening out for Leila. He shouldn't have left her alone, partially dazed and vulnerable, but it was all he could think of. He had to get away before he ended up doing something they would both regret, like throwing her onto the bank and taking what he so desperately wanted. He'd rather not spend the next days wondering if the woman was planning on staking him the moment his back was turned.

His symbiote _did _have a point though, and that made him rankle more than the creature's never-ending ability to point out his short comings. In a way this was his own fault. When he had to expend his passion he usually used one of the whores common in the larger cities; men and women who knew what they were getting in to, men and women he paid handsomely. Of late, the pleasure he received in their arms had been more fleeting than it was worth, so he stayed away. Unfortunately, that didn't mean his urges went along with them.

_You know, you should just hang a sign around your neck that says 'don't even try it, I'm not interested.' It would save us a lot of trouble. _The symbiote had told him that on their last job, when no less than ten of the village women, and several of the men, had thought to sneak into his rooms, or corner him in dark alleyways. It was part of his heritage, the ability to incite desire in those around him. Desire that would keep prey coming back for more, even as their bodies failed. Full blooded vampires could control the ability, but as a half-breed his control was imperfect at best, completely lacking at worst. His beauty didn't help matters, either.

The dhampir heard the crunch of foliage as Leila approached and schooled his expression to neutrality. He had apologized to her, left her before anything happened. She could survive her embarrassment.

He kept his eyes down as she entered the camp. The blanket was wrapped around her, the loose material gathered and thrown over her shoulder so her arms were free. Her red outfit was tossed over one shoulder. In her hands she carried a fish as long as her forearm.

Leila didn't say a word as she walked back into camp. What could she say? 'Sorry I threw myself at you, it won't happen again'? Even if she could bring herself to say the words, how would he take them? For all she knew, he might be insulted that she didn't find him attractive.

At least it wasn't a total waste. The fish grazed her leg while she was standing in the pool. Without thinking she reached out and caught it, something she hadn't done since girlhood.

She set about cleaning the fish with single-minded determination, grateful that it gave her something to do. The animal was scaled, gutted, and staked in record time.

Now all she had to do was survive the rest of the night.

* * *

_Leila moaned as a long, cool tongue trailed its way down her torso, stopping to give each of her nipples a swift lick before continuing on its journey. She couldn't move, couldn't think of anything other than the burning pleasure coursing through her. She tried to look at her lover, but he was obscured, as if a sheer material covered her eyes. What felt like the same material held her hands over her head, and she groaned. She was helpless, laid out before him._

_The tongue dipped into her navel before teasing the blond curls just below. Her breath caught, and the man laughed, a deep, throaty sound that made her stomach clench. Rough, long-fingered hands trailed over her breasts, massaging the flesh there before going to her hips, splaying across her stomach._

_She arched when the tongue lapped at her core, the sensation taking her breath away. The blond panted as the licks turned to kisses, sharp teeth nipping at her clit. The hands went beneath her thighs, lifting her, holding her open for his assault. She was gasping, crying, pleading, but he wouldn't stop. She screamed when his mouth covered her, his tongue piercing her…_

Leila sat up. The camp was quiet, D's mecha-horse standing silent vigil over its owner. The dhampir was asleep, or as asleep as she'd seen him. Hopefully, he didn't know that she'd just had one of the most erotic dreams of her life a few feet away, or that he'd played a central role in that dream.

Not for the first time she wondered how he would react if she insisted they travel during the night. As a hunter, she was used to sleeping the day away when tracking, or watching out for vampire activity. It would be easier on both of them.

She sank back into her bedroll, turning away from the sleeping dhampir. _No more dreams, _she said to herself, especially if they were like _that. _If she had just a little less self control, she would go jump on the half-breed and tear his clothes off.

D opened his eyes to slits when he heard Leila turn away from him. For a moment, he feared she would try and come to him, then relaxed when her breathing and heart rate slowed down in sleep. He had as tight a hold on his powers at the moment as he ever did, but she couldn't control her own scent, and it slithered around the camp, around him, touching him with ghostly tendrils. He could taste her, and it made his instincts call out to him, made the beast within pant with longing.

The dhampir turned over. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Leila didn't need much to tell her something was wrong.

D had been up before her, his side of camp already packed, mecha-horse unhitched and waiting. The half-breed looked tense. Not that he ever looked relaxed, but there was something else now, a stiffness to his movements, a glittering in his eyes, that made the blond jump up and gather her supplies as quickly as possible. They struck out before the sun was up, D leading the horse while she pretended not to fall asleep in the saddle.

Now it was nearing noon. The dhampir had slowed their pace, his steps just this side of sluggish. His normally straight shoulders were stooped, and the hand that held the mecha-horse's brindle was trembling.

"Stop." The word was out of Leila's mouth before she jumped off the horse.

The dhampir halted. "What?"

Leila turned to him, eyes wide. He couldn't be serious. "You need rest," she told him matter of factly, pulling open her saddle bag. She jumped back when the mecha-horse started forward again, this time faster. "Hey!"

"I'm fine," D said, even though he wasn't. He didn't need his symbiote to tell him he was in the first stages of heat syndrome. Moving further inland meant hotter temperatures, and the clothing he wore to protect his skin from the sun was taking its toll. His body was burning, his sight was wavering, but he couldn't afford to stop. "We'll stop at nightfall."

"We're stopping now." Leila stormed over to the dhampir, standing in front of him so he had two choices: stop, or run her over. "I don't know much about dhampirs, but I do know what heat exhaustion is. You need rest, and if you don't stop now, I won't bury you later when you fall out."

There was a moment when the vampire hunter was sure D would toss her saddle bags down and leave her in the middle of nowhere. Then, with what she would have sworn was a sigh, the dhampir lead his horse into the foliage lining the road. The oaks gave ample coverage from the sun, and he fought the moan of relief that rose in his chest.

"Good to know one of you has sense."

He knew the symbiote wouldn't be able to keep his silence for long.

"I'm glad she opened her mouth before I had to. Honestly, D, you need to take better care of yourself. Maybe on the way back down we can stop at that resting house for a few days. I'm sure Meyer kept a good supply-"

"No."

"It's not like he'd have virgins in cryosleep. Some real blood held in stasis would do you more good than those pills, which you're almost out of, need I remind you?"

Leila ignored the conversation ahead of her. She didn't know what was talking, but it wasn't D. There were times that, if she listened, she could hear one talking over the other. It was a relief when she did, because for about a day she feared her companion was not only a dhampir, but crazy as well.

D lead them through the trees until they were well hidden from the road. "An hour," he said as he settled beneath a tree, the wide brim of his hat pulled low. "That's all I need."

"An hour," Leila repeated, digging for her small bag of jerky and hard cheese. What she would give for some roast mutton fresh off the rack and a loaf of crusty bread slathered with butter. Eating dried rations got very old, very fast. Even faster when you had them, or a variation of them, three meals a day.

Thinking of which, eating like that would cost money. "I don't suppose you're willing to split the bounty fifty-fifty?" she called.

The hat tilted, and she thought she saw the ghost of a smile on those pale lips.

"Not that I expect you to, but we did deal with some of the Barbaroi. That viney bitch would have got you for sure if I hadn't taken care of her." She tore off a hunk of jerky and chewed it thoughtfully. "That at least calls for thirty percent."

When he didn't answer, she continued. "And I also buried your ass when you were suffering from heat syndrome. That's worth another ten percent."

"And I'm making sure you get back from the Frontier without becoming food for mutants," D said suddenly. "Consider us even." He tilted his head up until one gray eye was focused on her. "I'm sure Elborn gave you a generous down payment on the job."

"Borgoth didn't take down payments," Leila said, staring at the jerky in her hands, her voice low. "He always said we'd take the money when the job was done, not before." Which meant they were out 10 million, a tidy sum when split five ways, enough to fatten up the bank account she held in Hepereol even if they didn't get the rest.

The hunter was silent, and she considered the subject dropped. She was just fishing, anyway. He made the kill, and got the Countess on top of that.

"I'll give you the down payment you should have taken for the job."

Leila looked up sharply. D hadn't moved, he may as well have never spoken, but he did. 10 million dallas, more than enough to get her a place of her own. A little farm in the western mountains, far away from the Frontier and vampires, where she could start the rest of her life.

_You guys were supposed to be with me_. They'd all promised each other that if one retired, all of them did. They were supposed to all live in the same town, marry, and have children like a real family would. _I wish I had_ _your bodies, _she thought, her hand going to the bundle tucked in her suit. The three necklaces and one bracelet were all she had left of the men who'd been brothers to her for the better part of thirteen years.

* * *

D's eyes snapped open. It was night, a fire was crackling next to him, and he could smell Leila, ever enticing, as she moved about the camp. She was making stew again, the smell heavy on the air. "I said one hour," he told her without moving.

He heard her pause, then continue cooking. "You needed rest." She told him. "Your friend said you've been going the whole time without stopping and barely eating. I don't need a dead dhampir on my hands." Another pause. "Then again, it would make it easier to collect the bounty."

The dhampir held up his hand, the palm conspicuously smooth. "Show yourself," he commanded.

It took a good handful of seconds before his hand began to distort into the face he knew, a face that, at the moment, was the paradigm of innocence. "You did need the rest, whether you want to admit it or not," the symbiote said defensively. "She was going to wake you, but I talked her out of it."

D gave the creature a hard look, one that said in no uncertain terms that it was a hairsbreadth away from spending the rest of the trip tucked in a saddle bag.

"I'm glad we took an afternoon off, actually," Leila admitted. "My ass was starting to grow itself to your saddle. A few hours won't matter too much when we still have days to go."

The dhampir stood and walked into the trees, cloak flaring.

"She was watching you in your sleep," the creature said when they were outside the small clearing. "Like a kid just waiting for the word to unwrap a Nameday gift. I'm telling you D, you're lucky I opened my mouth, or you might've been raped before you knew it." It chuckled then. "I wasn't sure if she was going to jump on you or wake you up."

_Need, want, desire, _that's what she'd smelled of, what drove him away. It was getting stronger as the peak of her cycle drew closer. He was hard, damn near constantly, and it was driving him insane.

The half-breed closed his eyes and listened. Leila was still in camp, there were a few small animals currently getting as far away from him as possible. Nothing that would be a threat. That settled, he turned to his palm. It was smooth, the creature having read his mood and retreated to give him some privacy.

D chided himself. He should be stronger than this, but millennia of control were crumbling in the face of blue eyes and porcelain skin. He swallowed a groan when, at last, he was free. He stroked himself hard and imagined Leila beneath him, her eyes wide with fear-tinged desire. Her skin was surprisingly smooth, pale were the sun had touched less often. The image grew, embellished itself, until he could see them, see what he would do to her, _feel _it.

_He kissed her, ravaging her mouth, nipping at her lips until he brought forth the barest hint of blood. Her hips thrust up into his, begging, but he lifted away, teasing her with his hardness. She was so warm, blood thundering just beneath her skin. He ran his hands over her, tongue following the shallow cuts his nails left on her arms, the blood making him harder._

_Without warning he flipped her onto her stomach and pressed himself against her, his cock nestled between the globes of her ass. She moaned, rolling her hips against his as his fingers found her nipples, pinching them hard, almost cruelly. She gasped his name when he pushed into her, her fingers scrabbling at the blanket beneath them. He rode her hard, fingers skating down her body to tease the delicate folds where they were joined._

The dhampir leaned against a tree and stroked himself faster, eyes closed.

_Leila's heat surrounded him, pulling him in further with each thrust, her cries and sobs of ecstasy echoing through the forest. When she was at the peak, about to tumble over, he buried his fangs in her nape, the combination of pleasure and pain wrenching a scream from her lips, lips still swollen from his kisses. She clenched around him and he thrust once, twice, and emptied himself into her. Growling, he drank the very essence of her, marked her as his as she shuddered beneath him._

D opened his eyes slowly as his breathing calmed. Some of the tension that had pooled in his stomach for days was gone. He glanced at the sticky mess of his hand and set about cleaning himself. He was almost done when he felt it, a slither beneath his skin as the wind changed. Something was moving fast towards their camp.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Special thanks goes out to Popples and pheonix521 for their reviews!

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	3. Town

Leila didn't have time to prepare. One moment she was testing her skimpy stew, wondering just how much salt she could spare to make it palatable, the next she was dodging to the side, instinct the only think keeping her from being decapitated. She twisted as she moved, hands going to her sidearm. The moment her back touched ground she aimed and fired.

The mutant roared, but advanced, and she found herself scrabbling backwards. Talons, that's what it was; a creature that seemed made of nothing but talons and fangs. She fired again, the recoil knocking her flat, and hissed when her hand landed in the firepit. Her fingers spasmed, released their hold on her gun as she pulled them free. She kept moving and used her uninjured hand to throw her knife.

The creature roared, its talons turning inward to remove the silver projectile. Leila stumbled to her feet and turned to run.

Silver flashed.

The mutant froze, then split apart like a rotted melon, the talons and fangs falling away to reveal a ball of solid muscle. Leila cradled her hand to her chest and turned around. D was standing between her and the mutant, sword drawn.

"Are you all right?" he asked, his voice low, dangerous.

"Good enough," she said, eyes turned to the fire pit. Her gun was half in- half out of the flames, the barrel glowing red. "Shit!" she kicked the weapon free of the fire. Perfect, the one night she chose to reserve her fuel and make a normal fire, she dropped her gun in it.

Before she could recover the weapon a hand wrapped around her wrist. "You're injured."

She shrugged. "It's just a burn."

His hand moved up, and forced her fingers to unclench. The palm was an angry, slick red. Guilt, an emotion he seldom felt, poured over him. "I shouldn't have left you."

Leila blinked. "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."

Gray eyes glinted at her words. "I'll remember that."

As the vampire hunter bandaged her hand, D buried the creature. One mutant in nine days was fairly good. He'd expected more around the Countess's castle, but guessed she'd drained them of blood long ago to sustain her spirit.

The dhampir examined the creature briefly. Whatever it was, it took two direct blasts from Leila's gun, a weapon he knew could tear foot wide holes. It was a hearty mutant, built for power and speed, and probably not the last now that they were in the Reaches. He couldn't afford to leave Leila alone again, not unless it was necessary.

They started early the next morning, more to get away from the shallow grave than any desire to move closer to their destination. Leila took out her goggles and smiled.

"There's a town eight miles west of here where I can stock up," she informed him. "Lumber town, good size, but fairly isolated. It's another half-day to Aristol."

D nodded once. He knew the town, had stopped there when it was little more than a fort lost in the wilderness, but that was over a century ago. "We can make it before sundown."

Leila sighed. "A hot bath, real bed. I hope this place has an inn."

The dhampir was quiet. If he was lucky, no one there would question him about his skin, and he could bed down in a stable. If not, he might be spending the night in the woods alone.

"Scoot forward."

"What?"

"Scoot forward."

When she did as he ordered, D swung into the saddle behind her, trying to ignore the way her ass pressed against him. "We'll make better time if we both ride," he breathed before kneeing the mecha-horse. The sooner they reached the town, the more muted her scent would be, washed away by other odors. He could have a small amount of peace, at least.

For the first time while traveling with her, he allowed his powers to take hold and increase their speed. Most vampires had the ability to warp reality in this way to some extent, a gift that when added to their speed allowed them to -- seemingly -- appear and disappear. Now they were flying along the Northern Road, the hooves of his horse barely touching the earth.

* * *

Aristol was much larger than he remembered. The small collection of two story wood buildings huddled together in the Reaches was now a fairly bustling town, though it was still surrounded by a large, wooden wall that towered fifty feet overhead, dotted at intervals with watch towers. Vampires might be on the decline, but mutants and other animals were as prevalent as ever. As they approached a hollow gong sounded, and three men appeared at the narrow main gate, each holding a rifle.

Leila shifted in the saddle, her hand going to rest on her gun.

"State your business, strangers," the largest of the men said, rifle slanted over his forearm. He was six feet tall, an axe-handle wide across the shoulders, and made of solid muscle. Four puckered slashes ran across one cheek, teasing his lip and trailing across his nose His voice was amiable, but there was an edge to it that spoke of barely restrained violence.

"We seek room for the night, and supplies," D answered smoothly. If the female hunter was surprised he was turning their supply stop into an overnight visit, it didn't show.

The man studied them, and Leila gritted her teeth when his eyes lingered on her breasts, a smirk pulling at his features. They stayed even longer on D, though, and the man's dark eyes narrowed.

"You'll have to store you arms with the sheriff," he told them. "Don't worry about finding him, he'll find you when you settle down." He nodded once, and the two men behind him moved out of the way.

They rode through the tall gates and into the town. Lumber was a booming industry, and the tall hardwoods of the Reaches, while difficult to harvest, were a lucrative source of income. Steelewood, as hard as it's namesake and useful in construction, abounded in the area. One great tree, thousands of years old and hundreds of feet high, could make a dozen houses almost impervious to fire.

Aristol's main street was lined with shops, some boasting products from as far away as the Capitol, most specializing in particular goods. People walked along the unpaved street, crisscrossing in front of carriages. There was no air of fear, no solemn quiet that haunted the villages D normally came to. Everyone was bustling, lively, and it filled him with a strange apprehension.

He shouldn't _be _here, not without reason.

"Something wrong?" Leila asked, and D blinked, a gesture that was akin to a gasp of surprise in someone else. When had the woman learned to read his moods?

"I'm fine," he answered, halting them in front of a livery.

Twenty dallas later, saddlebags in hand, they walked into the Courier. The interior of the rooming house was brightly lit, the pitted and gouged floorboards swept clean. There were no windows, just narrow slits through which shafts of sunlight came through. If it weren't for the raucous laughter coming from the attached saloon, it would have been peaceful. The proprietor, a tall, lanky man with water-clear gray eyes and matching hair greeted them with a faded smile, eyes darting to her sidearm and D's sword as he slid from behind a chest-high counter.

"Just in time, travelers," the man said. "I've one room left, what with the season at it's height: good sized, private bath. A hundred-fifty dallas a night, a good price for the last room in town." He stopped short of the dhampir. No doubt used to towering over others, he came no high than the half-breed's eyes.

A low chuckle drifted up from D's palm. "We'll take it," he told the man, giving him the coins. Leila bristled at his casualness. She didn't need him looking after her.

"Good! Excellent!" the shorter man ran behind the counter, picked up a key, and led them further in to the building. "I've despaired renting it out," he rambled as they climbed a worn staircase. "Most of these roughnecks will room three or four to a bed to save some money; 'til their damn near coming out the windows if you let 'em, cheap as they are. Rather spend their money on liquor and women."

The room was at the end of a narrow hallway, the door carved with delicate filigree that D hoped was simply decorative. When the innkeeper threw the door open and stepped inside, proud as you please, the dhampir fought the urge to turn around and walk out. Two large windows let out onto the street below, the beveled glass streak-free and inlaid with enameled crosses. The room was spacious, an old-fashioned fireplace dominating one wall while a bed took up the other.

A _single_, largebed.

Once before, the dhampir known as D called on the spirits for assistance. Then his mother lay dying, and he pleaded with ancestors long since turned to dust to give him the power to change her; prayed that his father would come and turn her into one of them. Then, as now, he got a strange sense of amusement in answer; as if his ancestors knew exactly what was happening, and were laughing at him.

Leila noticed the way D froze in the doorway, halting for less than a second before walking into the room and setting his saddlebags down on a chest at the foot of the bed.

Just one bed.

_Damn._

"Thanks," she said, snatching the key away from the gray-haired innkeeper. As if she needed more temptation when it came to her companion. "We'll let you know if we need anything." She could hear D throwing the windows wide open, followed by a blast of warm air.

The man was oblivious to the moods of his two customers. "The saloon downstairs serves the best food in Aristol day and night," he informed her. "True beef and chicken, no mutations."

"Still making that claim, Bors?" A new voice said behind him.

The hunter didn't need the metal star gleaming high on a lapel to recognize the man as the sheriff they were warned about. He was tall, tall enough to look D in the eye, his suit cut roomy for easy movement. A long sword hung on one hip, a Straight Shooter on the other. He was the only other man besides the two gate guards that she'd seen wearing a weapon, and held himself like he knew how to use both.

He glanced over her, gaze going to the gun on her hip before skipping to D. She knew he was noting the pale skin and height, the way his fingers ended in sharp nails and the layers of clothes he wore, despite the heat. Without turning he reached up and closed the heavy door in Bor's face.

"You know what I am," D said calmly as he drew several items out of the leather saddlebags, setting each one down precisely.

"Not like you're hiding it," the sheriff said in a gravel-rough voice. "Most people 'round here wouldn't recognize a dhampir, but I do." He nodded towards D's long sword. "Been a while since we had Hunters through here, over ten years."

"Just passing through, Sheriff," Leila said.

He nodded, his eyes still on the dhampir. "I don't need to tell you the rules, do I?" he asked with deadly seriousness.

The _rules_ were usually the same in every town: no fighting, no making a nuisance of yourself, pretty basic stuff, but in D's case the blond was sure it meant something different.

"Your people are safe from me, sheriff." D hadn't turned, but there was something in his voice, so slight she could barely hear it, that made Leila bristle. It was resignation, old and patient, the kind that developed when you expected people to always believe the worst of you. What did the guy think D was, a mad dog?

Despite her anger, for the life of her, Leila couldn't figure out what made her say what she did next.

"I take care of him," she said off handedly, pleased that none of her emotions were present in her voice. "You don't have to worry about that." It wasn't unusual for vampires to have donors, people they would feed off of without turning them, when they couldn't afford to simply drain their victims. She didn't know about dhampirs, but she was sure she could bluff her way through. It wasn't like the sheriff would demand to see proof, was it?

Dark brown and gray eyes swung to her, and Leila pretended not to notice. Pretended, because she could damn-well feel the steel-gray eyes boring into the side of her head, and she fought the urge to fidget.

The sheriff darted a glance at the half-breed. "Good. Now, I'll need your sidearm, and that long-sword."

Leila fought the urge to look at her companion as she handed over her weapon. D took care of that sword like his own child, and would probably part with it just as easily. She wasn't surprised when the dhampir started forward, but she was surprised when the amulet he wore began to glow, rhythmic flashes passing over the surface of the sapphire pendant.

"I would prefer to keep it, Sheriff," he said calmly, face impassive. The sheriff wasn't looking at him, though. He was staring at the pendant.

"I can't…" he trailed off.

"I'll keep it in this room until we head out tomorrow," D told him. The flashes grew faster, coursing through the jewel. "You have my word."

"That'll be fine," the sheriff answered.

The pulses stopped, and the man looked at D as if nothing had happened. "See that it stays here, and keep your…woman… close. The roughnecks can get rowdy sometimes, and this place is full of them."

"I'll keep that in mind."

The sheriff tightened his grip on Leila's gun, then turned around. "Enjoy your stay in Aristol," he said shortly. "This'll be waiting for you when you head out, ma'am." Then he was gone.

D went back to sorting his supplies, and Leila stared after the sheriff. Now why couldn't he have done that trick for her, too?

"You didn't have to tell him that."

Leila turned around and walked to the bed. The sheets were dark gray, the better to hide stains, but the coverlet was crisp white lace, perfect for the warm temperature. "Tell him what?" she asked as she jumped on the soft surface. Ah, no sore muscles tomorrow.

D looked up at her, eyes narrowed. "That you're my donor. I have no intention of using you like that."

Did the thing in his hand just snort? "I didn't think you did. Just trying to keep the sheriff off your back, all right?" And why did the thought of him leaning over her, fangs extended, make her so damn hot? A month ago the same image would have filled her with loathing.

The female Hunter stood and stretched. "Well, I don't know about you, but it's dinner time, and I'm starving." With that she walked out of the room and headed for the saloon. _Roast mutton, here I come._

D waited until her footsteps faded before he let his hands drift to the bulge below his waist, images of Leila on the bed in front of him dancing before his eyes. It didn't take long this time, not with her scent lingering in the room. _Three more days, _he thought as he came, fangs biting into his lower lip. _Just three._

* * *

Leila came back to the room boiling. Not only was it a month before the next train was leaving for the Inner Territories, but she felt like a piece of meat walking through a den of wolves. If one more lumber jack tried to pinch her ass, she'd show them just how handy with a knife she was.

"Even Kyle knew when enough was enough," she muttered. And he was the biggest lecher she'd ever known.

She should have known by the way the noise dimmed when she walked in the room that there would be trouble. Frontier towns as a rule had more men than women, and it showed. There was hardly a women she'd seen who was over fifteen and escaped being pulled into someone's lap, or fondled when she walked by. The first man who tried that with her ended up with his finger bent the wrong way, apologizing from his knees.

And why did men think that meant 'You can do better'?

If the food hadn't been so good, she would have walked out midway through, disgusted. Leila'd never been hit on so many times in her life, not at once. Nolt, Borgoth, and Kyle made sure of that. Having three hulking, dangerous looking Bounty Hunters around made sure she didn't get attention she didn't want. The whole time she kept looking to the stairs, hoping D would come down; if not to eat, then just to sit with her for a while.

_I'm craving a dhampir's company. Losing the boy's must have made me insane._

As she walked down the hallway two giggling maids came by, starry eyed and whispering excitedly. She reached the door in time to see another leave their room, a dazed look on her face. When she caught sight of Leila, that daze turned to jealously, and she flounced down the hall to join the others. The three of them hurried down the stars, a giggling, whispering knot.

"What the hell is that about?" she mused out loud.

D was sitting at the small desk, his hands ghosting over a device Leila had never seen working before. Colors swam over a screen, and his fingers danced above a vermilion protrusion. Each twitch brought about something new.

She fought the urge to rush over and see what it was. Mechanical things were her forte, and she wasn't about to miss a great chance to see something obviously Noble made being used. Most of the devices she'd seen were centuries dead, or destroyed in the hunt. It had to be a computer of some sort, though she'd never seen one so small. It could have folded and fit into her belt pouch. "What's that?"

"A processor," the half-breed answered, hand never stilling. "I'm checking the bulletins for another job."

She smirked. If they boys were still around, they'd be doing the same thing. "You don't let yourself get any rest, do you?"

He didn't answer. Leila watched the flashing screen, information passing faster than she could follow, for another minute then turned to her bags. The door to the adjoining bath was open, and she had every intention of having a good, hot bath while she still could.

D suppressed a shudder when he heard the door to the bath close and focused on the screen in front of him. He could remember a time when there would be hundreds of bulletins, thousands. Now, he was lucky to see a hundred on a good day, less than half of which offered enough of a bounty to make his travel worthwhile.

The dhampir tuned to another net, this one in the language of the Eastern Continent. There were more listings here, vampires having fled north and east to escape the rising tide of humanity. Two listed bounties of over 20 million and he made a note of them, but none were the one he was looking for.

Once, over a thousand years ago, he'd almost had him: a tall man with delicate, almost feminine features who carried himself with a royal bearing that wasn't feigned. Perhaps the only true Noble to ever exist. He was beaten bloody, bones broken and sinews ripped, and told to return when he improved.

"Please don't tell me your thinking about sailing to Huang," the symbiote moaned, face turned upwards to read the screen. "It'll be just as uncomfortable for you as it is for me. There's still vampires here that need taking care of, no need to go chasing a big fish."

D ignored his hand and typed a reply to the posting. He'd check back in a few hours to see if the job was still open. Even if he didn't go for the bounty, he might go to Huang just because. Centuries had passed since he last sailed east.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Special thanks goes out to Kitala, demmie, Kidagakashantelast, pheonix521 and Melly for their great reviews! 


	4. Suspect

The blond hunter groaned in sheer delight as she sank into the water. Nothing beat a hot bath, and the oversized porcelain tub was enough to make her melt into a pool of contentment. And after this, she could fall into a soft bed; heaven on earth. The room even came with a sliver of pale, sweet-smelling soap.

Leila leaned back against the rim of the tub, wondering if she could talk D into letting her travel with him further. Technically this was the next town, but she didn't feel like waiting a month for a lumber train, and going on by herself was also a no-go. She was brave, not stupid. They still had a few more days to Bosdale, less if he traveled as fast as they had coming to Aristol.

As she seemed to do more often of late, the woman used this quiet time to think back on her companion. Twice before the Elborn contract, Borgoff had cut off a hunt, stating simply that 'the dhampir' had taken the job. There was only one dhampir that she knew of who hunted his own kind, so she didn't bother asking which. The second time, she asked why they didn't go anyway: most people who hired Hunters hired more than one. Borgoff just smiled at her and said, "If they've got this one, the contract's as well as done. He's never left a job unfinished."

Vampire Hunter D. The dhampir who hunted his own kind was a legend among bounty hunters and normal folk alike. The man who never quit a contract, who liberated whole regions from vampires. The stories she'd heard were always from someone's grandfather's grandfather, if not further back. It made her wonder how old the dhampir was in the first place. He looked no more than a day of twenty-five, but that was no indication of his age. Once, she'd asked him what he thought some ruins were peeking above the treeline; tall, thin columns with bits of arches still clinging to them

_"The resort of Midvale," D said absently, his eyes skirting to the columns and back. "This area used to be a resort for vampires, stretching to Lake Chiffon. A place where they could pick out the best humans to be their entertainment."_

The ruins, by anyone's estimation, were more than five thousand years old.

_Maybe he's five thousand years old,_ she thought, lifting one pale, sculpted leg free of the water and running a wash rag down its length. _Who knows, maybe he was here long before the Big III_, meaning the third world war; the atomic holocaust that turned the world into what it was today. Unless she got up the courage to ask him, she'd never know.

Thoughts of D brought a tingling heat that settled in her groin, and Leila sighed, one hand sliding down her body to play with her slick folds. If she didn't stop this, she'd end up embarrassing herself, or getting thoroughly laid. Experience told her it would be the latter, but common sense said the former. D didn't look the type to let himself go easily. Besides, she'd thrown herself at him once without affect.

She braced one leg at the end of the tub, using the added leverage to rock against her hand. A virgin she wasn't, nor did she have reservations about her desires. A Hunter's life was short, and you took pleasure where you found it. Still, the thought of the dhampir thrusting into her, pressing her into the mattress with his weight, was kinky for her. She did not fantasize about vampires, period.

The water began to move with her as she rocked, some of it sloshing over the top of the tub, but Leila didn't notice. She was caught up in an image of D, fangs extended and eyes glowing red, as he thrust into her. A small moan escaped her, then another, as her other hand pinched her nipple, palming the heavy weight of her breast. She could imagine that hidden strength, the feel of him as he struggled not to hurt her, and it made her want him more. A finger slid inside her damp channel, followed by another. She imagined the feel of his fangs as they broke the skin of her neck, the sharp prick as the delicate membrane parted under razor-sharp canines…

Leila's orgasm burst without warning, tensing her muscles and wrenching a loud moan from her throat. She shuddered, the thought of D feeding off her through her pleasure heightening it, until she fell back into the water boneless. It wasn't what she wanted, but it was close enough when you couldn't get your hands on the real thing.

Somewhere, deep in Leila's mind, she was resolving how to solve this latest problem.

"That could be you in there."

D clenched his hand into a fist. It took everything in him not to burst into the bathroom, throw Leila against a wall, and fuck her senseless. His original plan of using the varied smells ever-present in a town this size was failing miserably. She was still there, beneath it all.

_You know, I do have other ways to talk to you,_ the voice was thready, faint, and D scowled. His symbiote didn't like this means of communication; the dhampir's mind was too alien for easy going. _Go to her, she wants you._

The door to the bathroom opened, and Leila stepped out wearing her towel, skin flushed. "Water's all yours," she said, then paused.

D was considerably less dressed that he had been. The long travel cloak hung on a hook, along with his hat. The dark body armor, paper-thin and hard as beaten steel was nowhere to be seen, revealing a thin shirt. When he didn't reply she walked over to the bed.

"You can sleep there tonight," the dhampir said before she could ask. "The floor works for me."

"We could always share, you know," Leila said, then wanted to bite off her own tongue. What in the hell was she doing? "We're both adults."

D didn't turn around, but she swore she saw a slight stiffening of his shoulders. "I'll stick with the floor."

Leila shrugged, half disappointed, half grateful. While his back was turned she slid naked onto the sheets, sighing at the feel of starched linen against her skin. "The next train through here doesn't come for another month. Don't suppose you'll let me hang with you until Bosdale?"

"You can travel with me until we reach Elborn, then you're on your own." The symbiote said something, but D tightened his hand into a fist, effectively smothering him.

"Great." Leila settled into the blankets a yawn stretching her features. A Hunter had three basic setting: eat, sleep, and shit. Getting any one of those to work was like flipping a switch, and Leila fell asleep less than a minute after her head touched the pillow.

* * *

D watched the sleeping woman for long minutes, then headed down to the saloon. The room was full, but he paid no notice to the stares he received. After taking a booth in the very back he ordered a steak, and made sure the dazed waitress told the cook only to sear each side for fifteen seconds; just long enough to keep people from staring at him while he ate.

"I still say you should go up there and let off some steam," the symbiote muttered, the sound lost to all ears but D's. "She practically invited you. At least this time you're genuinely attracted to the woman, not just fulfilling a bodily function."

"She doesn't know what she's asking."

"The hell she doesn't! Sounds to me like she's asking to get some action, plain and simple."

The dhampir didn't respond.

"I know what you're problem is, Mr. Big-Bad-Vampire-Hunter. You're scared you'll get attached to her, that you won't want her to leave once you get to Elborn. Hell, you could have saved yourself the trouble and dropped her off in Bosdale in two days, instead of taking another week to get to New Verim. Face it, D, this time you _want _to get attached, and that's what's really bothering you."

In the dim light of the saloon, no one could see the faintest of flushes start in D's cheeks, or see the slight movement of his lips. "Tomorrow I'll pick up the pace. We can be in New Verim in a day and a half."

"And then you can sleep for a week while you recover from using that much power. And you'll still want her just as bad as you do right now. How's this for a plan: use her as much as you both want, then go your separate ways once you get the money. Easy, simple, and no one gets confused. Like she said, she's a big girl, she knows the rules."

The symbiote went silent when the thirty ounce steak was placed in front of the dhampir. D waited until the waitress, a pretty thing with red hair and green eyes, sauntered off before starting to eat. His stomach recoiled at the taste of cooked flesh, but stopped once the taste of fresh blood overpowered the first bite. The cut was good, slaughtered earlier in the day, and did wonders to relieve the worst of his hunger.

If only other hungers were dealt with so easily.

"They are, you big idiot."

D held the knife in his left hand, tightening his grip. Later, when the washer examined it, he saw what he swore were fingerprints pressed in the hard pewter.

* * *

Leila was on her feet before she recognized the sound, hands reaching for her gun. Finding the holster hanging on the bedpost empty was enough to shake off the last dregs of sleep. The noise started again; the sound of a heavy hand hammering on wood. "What the-"

A shadow moved through the gloom towards the door, throwing the lock before opening it a crack. "Sheriff." D's impassive voice echoed in the silence.

"We need to talk."

The Sheriff walked into the room as D turned up the kerosene lamp, eyes going wide at the sight of Leila standing naked by the bed. "Interrupting something?" he asked humorlessly.

"Not at all."

Leila quirked an eyebrow, then sat on the bed and wrapped the sheet around herself just slow enough to let the man know she was doing it for his sake, not her own. She could feel him studying her, though. Her body bore the signs of her work; scars mapped out in pale lines, some thin, others thick and raised. Her eyes strayed to her gunbelt when she noticed his hand resting on the butt of his gun.

"You have some business with us, or you wouldn't be here," D said.

The man glanced between the two of them then heaved a sigh. "There's been an attack. A woman near the east end of town."

"Noble?"

The Sheriff's mouth twisted. "If it wasn't I wouldn't be here." His eyes turned to D. "Convenient that it happens when a dhampir appears in town."

"He's been here all night," Leila informed the Sheriff.

"I can't afford to believe someone whose already suspect, ma'am." From his tone, he probably wouldn't even believe her if D wasn't.

While the two spoke the dhampir moved quietly through the room gathering his supplies. "Where's the victim now?"

Brown eyes narrowed. "You're not even gonna try and convince me you're innocent?"

D was in his body armor, his long sword strapped and hat in place. He took his time gathering up the rest of his materials. "I'm innocent, Sheriff. Whether or not you believe that is your business."

The reply took the other man off-guard, and he turned around. "She's in Doc Samson's house right now. Center of town. I'll show you when she's dressed."

The door closed.

"We should have stuck with the road," Leila said as she pulled on her body armor. "It's better than putting up with assholes." She couldn't help but feel a little guilty; coming here was her idea. She was just about to zip up the red suit when D's eyes came to rest on her, freezing her in place. "What?" she asked through a throat gone suddenly dry.

"They might ask to see proof that you're really my donor," the dhampir said. "If you have no marks, they'll know it for a lie. Getting out of here will be hard enough without that."

"He means he wants to take a bite of-" the rest of the words were smothered when D tightened his fist.

Leila tried to banish the flash of molten heat that went through her, and failed. He was going to bite her. D was actually going to do what she'd been fantasizing about. "You gotta do what you gotta do," she said. When had her voice gotten so small?

The dhampir approached her, and Leila became aware of several things. Like just how much taller than her he was, and how his eyes shined in the lamp light. _Just breathe, _she told herself. Amazing how hard that simple action had become.

"I wont do this again," D told her, voice quiet, soothing and ringing with promise. He reached out, right hand cupping her head and tilting it ever-so-slightly to the side.

Leila closed her eyes.

Moist, warm breath ghosted over her jugular, then the sweep of his tongue. She moaned despite herself, hands fisting in D's cloak, silk tendrils of hair brushing her knuckles. The pain was short, sharp enough to bring Leila to her toes. Then her muscles went lax as pleasure crashed through her, knuckles white as she held on, trying not to be swept away.

It lasted forever, and not nearly long enough.

When D stepped back, Leila swayed with him, eyes fighting to refocus. His hand went to her neck, and she felt a peculiar rippling of the skin there. She turned questioning eyes to D, gaze lingering near his nose.

"He's making the wounds look old and repeatedly made," the dhampir explained.

The thought of that creased face on her swept away the contentment laying heavy in her limbs. Less than twenty seconds later the hand was removed, and she swore it was smiling. Her hand went to her neck.

D turned away from the woman before she noticed the red blaze of his eyes, pretended to busy himself with his saddlebag. _More! _The cry was almost undeniable; to feast on what was so readily given, to have her screaming beneath him. D breathed in slowly, savoring the taste of her.

"Ready?" Leila asked when she had herself at least partially under control.

The trio made their way through Aristol, the storefronts and houses dark. Most people in the Frontier went to sleep with the sun, and rose with it as well. Even in the safety of thick walls, Frontier people wouldn't feel safe unless they were in their own homes, doors and windows shut tight against what might be lurking in the darkness.

Doc Samson's house was a single story structure standing on a slight rise, the other buildings leaning away from it. A single large cross was freshly nailed to the door. If the people didn't know a vampire attack had taken place, they would come morning.

Samson was a stooped, crooked old man, his eyes dark chips in a lined face that took in the three of them before stopping on D. "I suppose you're the one who's gonna catch the thing," he said shortly. "Well, come in. She's in the back."

Leila's eyes ghosted over the room. Tile floors, walls scrubbed to bleached whiteness and a steel table sitting empty under a tall lamp told the room's purpose. There were muddy tracks on the white tile, leading further into the house.

'The back' turned out to be a windowless room, its door studded with silver crosses. A safe room, built to protect a survivor from other vampire attacks. The dhampir sniffed as they approached, catching hints of wolfbane and white oak. Someone had put a lot of effort into making the room impervious to vampires and their helpers.

"The guards found her lying face down near East Gate," the Sheriff said to no one in particular as the doctor threw the iron bolt. "We've been all over the wall, there's no sign that someone forced their way in, none of the guards saw anything."

The room was brightly lit; a woman curled on her side in the center of a cot, dark hair obscuring her features and spilling in a chocolate wave to the floor. Her apron was dingy white, splashed with mud, as were the arms wrapped around her knees. She tensed as they approached, fingers curling around the edges of the bed. The doctor and sheriff fell back, leaving the two hunters to approach on their own. The smell of urine was rank.

Leila pursed her lips. The attack must have been ended before it really started. The fingers clutching at the cot were pale, but not bloodless. Most victims fell into a stupor of sorts after being attacked, unable to move of their own will, something this woman was doing just fine.

D approached the girl. "Leave us alone with her," he said over his shoulder, leaning over her.

"So you can finish her off?" The sheriff scoffed.

There was the sound of flesh hitting flesh. The doctor had smacked the man next to him on the head. "And prove he's the one who did it in the first place? We slam that door and he's as good as stuck, Tim." The two shuffled their way out, the door closing with a hollow thud behind them.

"Now that those two jokers are gone," came a gruff voice. "Let me get a look at her."

D placed his hand on the girl, who had backed herself into the corner and was trying to appear as small as possible. She flinched when the hand settled, then went still. "It's not a vampire," he said.

"'Course not! She'd be dead, or a lot closer to it than this. Probably a night flyer readying for mating season and getting a little midnight snack. Sorry, big guy, no bounty here. Unless you want to go after the nest and save them the trouble, which they don't deserve, by the way."

The dhampir pushed the hair back from the girl's face. She was plain, her eyes wide and glazed with fear. He rested his right hand against her forehead for a moment. When she buried him Leila had glimpsed a thin black cross tattooed into the palm.

"Still don't trust me after all this time?" The symbiote sounded genuinely offended. "The day I can't tell a vampire victim from a bug bite, you can cut me off without protest. Those yokels wouldn't have thought twice about it if you weren't here."

Leila agreed with the hand. Night flyers were pesky, bat-like creatures that usually fed on livestock or other animals. The amount of blood they took was not enough to kill, and the wounds were easily confused for those Noble made if you didn't look at the state the victim was in."

"I… I tried to say it wasn't a Noble… but they didn't believe me…" the girl's voice was reed-thin, eyes flicking from D to Leila. "They locked me in here and wouldn't listen."

The blond hunter frowned. Being attacked by a night flyer was frightening. The creatures could grow up to four feet, and choose to swoop out of the sky and cling onto their victims. _Scared the piss out of her,_ she thought. "They'll let you out now."

The two men outside were harder to convince.

"We haven't seen night-flyers for years," the Sheriff said.

"The girl can tell you herself that I'm not the one who attacked her. That should be sufficient." D's voice was cold, emotionless.

The doctor's eyes went from the dhampir to Leila. "You're his donor?" The question was gruff.

She nodded.

The little man barely came to her chin, but he crowded her like someone twice her size. For the first time she was grateful the Sheriff had taken her weapon, or she might have been tempted to use it.

"No strain in the eye capillaries," he said to himself. He reached up, pulling down her lower eye lid. "A little pale, but no real signs of anorexia. She's certainly not submissive."

"Some men like a little fight in their women," she said condescendingly.

Dark eyes narrowed. "Unzip." He ordered.

Leila did so, revealing the bite on her neck. "Satisfied?"

Keen eyes examined the two puncture wounds, pushing and pulling until a thin stream of blood trailed down her neck.

He sat back on his heels. "She's been fed on recent, within the past hour or so, which puts him out of the time frame for Mary."

"We told you, it's night-flyers." She zipped up. "Take care of them, or you'll have a lot more 'vampire' victims when mating season kicks in."

* * *

Thank you everyone for reading! Special chocolate coated D goes out to Kitala, Melly, Demmie, and Pheonix521 for their reviews! I love you guys : -) 


	5. End of the Road

The journey back to their hotel room was a quiet one, neither hunter willing to break the silence. D kept his face forward, eyes scanning the dark storefronts and homes. It was after midnight, but dawn was still a long way off. Once, they both heard the sound of wings overhead, no doubt another night-flyer looking for easy prey.

"Must be a big nest," the blond hunter drawled, testing the waters. The silence was settled around her companion like a shroud, one she wasn't sure she wanted to disturb.

D didn't answer.

_Wonder what it's like, always being treated like that. _She and her brothers were seen as a village's salvation. Most places in the Frontier wouldn't even take their money, Hunters were so respected. If he were human, the Sheriff would have come bowing and scrapping, begging him for help, instead of accusing him of being the attacker.

Bors was standing at the front desk ringing his hands when they got back to the Courier. He looked between the two Hunters, wiping his palms on his pants. "Everything's well, I take it?" his voice cracked on the last word.

"Night-flyers," was Leila's curt reply.

The innkeeper relaxed, loosing inches as his spine went slack, his shoulders stooped, grateful he wouldn't be blamed for housing a rabid dhampir, no matter how brief. "Well, thank goodness for that!" His eyes darted to D. "Not that I believed you were the cause, sir," he added.

D walked past the innkeeper and started upstairs.

They were in their room, door closed, when he finally spoke. "We should head out as soon as possible after you get up and get what you need."

Leila stripped off her boots and wiggled her toes. "What about you?"

"They don't have what I need."

The blond slipped off her body armor with the ease of long practice and was in the bed in moments. "That side's still open if you're interested." She gestured at the empty half of the bed.

D turned off the lamp and settled in the corner.

_Good try, _Leila told herself before falling asleep. When she was hovering between dreams and waking she thought she heard D say, in a voice filled with impatience, "Not one word."

By noon the next day, Aristol was a fading smoky haze hovering over the tree tops. Leila had her hands clenched around the pommel of D's saddle, hanging on for dear life for the second time.

_How can we be going this fast?_ she wondered. The horse wasn't taking particularly lengthy strides, or going very fast that she could tell, but the trees whipped past them, faster than they should. She thought a fall out of the saddle now would break her neck and every other bone in her body along with it.

The dhampir didn't stop at dusk. Leila didn't blame him after Aristol. She found herself nodding off in the saddle. There was a terrible moment when she felt herself falling and couldn't muster the strength to do anything about it. A hard hand went to her middle, pressing her back against D's chest. The cloak that had flared behind him draped over her, creating a pocket of warm air. Content, Leila slept as they sped south east towards Elborn.

And missed a very interesting conversation.

"You know, I finally figured it out, D."

His hand tightened on the reins.

_Fine, I'll talk to you this way, then, _the symbiote continued in his mind. _And here you can't shut me out. Look at her. She's sleeping against you, not worried that you'll molest her in her sleep, or that she'll wake up changed. Right now she's off in lala land not worrying about anything. _He was silent, then. _I know what's wrong with you D, why you can't handle this. It's taken me a while, since you're not exactly Mr. Let's-share-our-feelings, but I finally got it. You're attracted to her for all the normal reasons, but there's something else. She _wants _you._

The dhampir chuckled to himself. This was his parasite's great observation? His epiphany? He knew she wanted him; he suffered through smelling it for days now.

_Yeah, laugh it up. That's not the kind of want I'm talking about, though it has a lot to do with it. You're used to people _needing _you, just like Doris needed you. Used to people needing you around because you can protect them, because they're wrapped up in myths about vampires being the greatest lovers, because they think there's something you can give them. No, Leila _wants you_, and that's something entirely different, isn't it?_

"Quiet."

_Oh, no, I think I've finally figured something out. You can't imagine why she'd want you. Why a Hunter, a beautiful woman, would waste her time on a half-breed vampire, a drifter who kills for a living._

_She's not panting after you because of some vampire allure, or because she wants a taste of danger. She just wants _you. _All of you, every last bit human and vampire, and that's what freaks you out, because you want her, too. So much for the man who has no attachments._

"I'm warning you-"

_And would it be so bad, having a partner? Oh, I'm sorry, that's right isn't it? _The parasite snorted. _She's out of the business now. Heaven forbid that you actually settle down somewhere and live a normal life with a normal woman. Heaven forbid that you're actually happy for once in your miserable existence. And it is miserable, admit it. Always moving, never staying still, even though _both _sides of your blood want some kind of stability. And don't try and talk about Elizabeta. When's the last time you swung by there, a year ago, two?_

D clenched his jaw and rode on. The bedamned creature in his palm could talk until the stars fell out of the sky, he wasn't about to let it get the better of him, not this time.

_No answer, huh? Well how about this little epiphany. The only thing that causes this kind of drive is hate, bone-deep and soul searing. And the only thing that makes someone hate like that is lo-_

"I've had enough of your psychoanalysis for one night," D's words were ice cold, nearly lost in the wind howling past them. "Don't tempt me to do something you'll regret."

The rest of the ride was made in silence.

Leila woke up with a yawn. The thick black cloak was still wrapped around her, tucked beneath her chin and covering her from shoulders to knees. She moved slowly, wincing at the twinges that made themselves known. _I can't believe I fell asleep against him._

"Good morning, bright eyes," The creature in D's hand said cheerfully. "We were just about to wake you." They were trotting down a narrow street, cross-topped buildings lining either side of the cobblestone path. The gray stone facades were normal for more established cities, not the wooden structures of most Frontier towns. How far had they traveled in a single night?

D made another turn, and the pair were on a street lined with shops.

People were already bustling about the town carrying loads, most stopping to stare at the pair making their way through the center of town. The sword hilt sticking up above D's head named his profession. No doubt by noon there would be rumors flying about why he was there, and who had summoned him.

Leila glanced up. The dhampir was looking straight ahead, his eyes on the road. As if sensing her gaze he glanced down, and she looked away when an unfamiliar blush began to heat her cheeks. She wasn't shy. Why the hell was she suddenly shy?

"New Verim is still a good ride away, and the big guy needs rest," the symbiote explained to her. "There's a place around here where he can catch some z's, and be ready to travel at nightfall."

The place was at the edge of town, a small, squat building that looked like a cross between a barn and a mill, right on the edge of a river. The roof looked questionable, and when he pushed the heavy doors open the sound of birds taking flight was deafening. "Does anybody own this place?" Leila asked.

"A man named Johnson, and he's not likely to say a word, once D lets him know he's here," the symbiote answered. "Saved his wife a few years back half-price. It's not an inn, but it's better than nothing."

Inside the barn dust-particles littered the air, the cooing of birds drifted down from the rafters. Sunlight came through the roof in thin streamers, making pale bars on the hay-strewn floor and odd, distorted shadows. Old bales were stacked piecemeal in corners.

D led his horse to a leaning stall. "You can stay here while I talk to Johnson. The hay is old, but still good. It should make a proper bed." With that, he was gone.

When the dhampir came back, Leila was bundled up on a large bale, everything but her head covered by the dark material of her bedroll. Sleeping on horseback was uncomfortable, and no doubt her body needed real rest.

"Just like you. So stop staring at her and get to sleep. Unless you're going to take my advice."

D settled down across from his companion, cloak spread about him on the dirt floor. Johnson was dead, had died more than fifteen years ago, but his son remembered the tall, pale man who rescued his mother. Brian Johnson asked him to stay as long as he wanted, had hinted at a possible job for the both of them. D wondered what Leila would think of a side job come nightfall.

It didn't take that long.

Leila woke up when the sun was just starting to dip below its zenith. A hay bale was better than the ground, but not by much. She moved her leg, judging the distance to the end of the bale. No sense trying to get up and falling flat on her face.

The barn was quiet, without even the sound of birds. The caked white splashes on the rafters were evidence that this place was a favorite roosting spot for years, but today they were absent.

_It's _himshe thought, gaze going to D. Vampires and dhampirs tended to run off everything but larger game and mutants. He was lying on a bale himself, cloak wrapped around him like darkness, hat resting on his sword. He didn't so much as twitch when she stood and approached.

The dhampir looked different in his sleep, the sternness of his features relaxed. Without the wide-brimmed hat to hold it in place his dark hair fell away from his face, framing the pale skin. His features were delicate, almost feminine but for their sharpness. Without that penetrating grey stare he looked boyish, no more than twenty.

He really was too pretty.

Leila walked back to her bale and dug through her saddle bags until she found her mirror. She'd never used it for more than checking around corners, or examining awkward wounds. A vampire hunter didn't need to be pretty. The boys had tried for a while to catch her attention until she turned them all down flat. Well, Grove never tried, but she could feel it in his eye sometimes when he watched her. They told her how pretty she was, how lucky they were that she was their 'sister'. With a deep breath, Leila looked into the mirror.

Her mother's eyes stared back.

She almost put the mirror away. It was the reason she hated looking at her face; so much of her mother stared back, reminding her of things she'd rather leave buried. Leila forced herself to look into the palm sized glass again. Her eyes were more green and blue, less slanted. Her skin darker. Her forehead was higher, a frown line already marring the skin on the bridge of her nose. Her nose was her father's, sharp and pointed, but thankfully not long. She wasn't beautiful, her features were too sharp for that, her face too narrow. The close cut blond hair emphasized all of this. Her body was hard, muscles sculpted from years of work, hands rough from wooden stakes and working with oil and metal. Not like Charlotte, pale and fragile, features rounded and feminine, hair flowing.

Not like her mother.

Leila's eyes moved lower, past her chin. A slight tug revealed the bite, twin holes already scabbed over high on her jugular. She was a vampire hunter for thirteen years, but it wasn't until she gave it up that she was bitten.

_I'll never do this again._ He sounded like he meant it, too. She didn't want to think of what he'd say if she told him she _wanted _him to.

D was aware of the exact moment Leila's breathing changed, his own senses were so attuned to hers. He was aware of her approach, could feel the heat of her as she examined him, but he kept his eyes closed, his breathing even. After a few minutes she walked away, the sound of rustling as she went through one of her saddle bags, the metallic scrap of something being opened.

Then silence.

D risked slitting an eye. Leila was sitting on her hay bale, a shaft of light turning her hair brilliant gold as she examined herself. It was strangely feminine, the way her eyes weighed and measured her features, not something he would have expected. There was something fey about her in that light, as if she would disappear if a cloud passed over the sun.

She shifted the mirror lower, one hand revealing the place where he marked her. Her expression was solemn, but her fingers drifted over the puncture wounds delicately. Strange apprehension curled within him. This was something personal, private, and more intimate than if she had been naked in a silk draped room. Wistfulness crossed her face for the barest moment before she fixed her collar. With a final, deep breath, she closed the mirror and dropped it into her saddlebag.

The dhampir gave her another minute until he 'woke'.

It was pathetically simple.

Vampire Hunters were by trade the best of the Hunter class. Even were-hunters trailed far behind when it came to simple strength and endurance.

The jelly beast Johnson told them about made its home on the eastern edge of the town. It would appear, perhaps take two or three people, and then slither back into the forest for days, even weeks, before showing up again. When cornered it became a vicious killing machine, shooting out streams of organic acid that could melt limbs in seconds. The easiest way to kill one was to create a large enough circle around it that it didn't feel threatened, then attack on all sides. Though they didn't use it for hunting, they could be lightening quick when it came to running away. The townspeople sent for hunters, but none had arrived yet. Johnson took it as a sign of providence that D, arguably the best Hunter to ever exist, had chosen that day to come to the town, even though he wasn't necessarily a beast hunter.

Jelly beasts didn't hunt by speed or stealth. Instead, the relied on something much simpler, surprise. Most would pounce on a victim stupid enough to step into their trap, engulfing the person and digesting them. They were easily avoided if you took the time to notice the strange slickness on the ground that signaled one was nearby. With the recent rains to hide its trail this one decided to move closer to its prey.

Leila walked through the forest slowly, hand on her gun. They decided to hunt during the day, and afternoon sunlight filtered around her. It was the section where the most attacks had happened, the thick underbrush making the perfect hiding place for the jelly beast. "I don't plan on getting eaten," she said, turning her head west. D was perched in a tree above her, out the beast's range of senses. The dhampir should have been able to pick up the words. "So you better be as fast as usual."

She wondered if the dhampir smiled at her words.

_Entirely too rigid, _she thought. He would never let himself laugh or smile, at least not where other people could see. The thought of him riding like the devil to some deep, dark cave just to let out a belly-laugh made her chuckle. She wouldn't put it past him.

"I hope the villagers did what we told them and made enough noise to drive it our way," she continued. "It'll look bad for business if one of them gets killed while we're here."

A subtle movement along the ground caught her attention, a sliding mass thinned out ahead of her, ten yards ahead. The creature was nine feet across, large for its kind. "Hello," she drawled, not slowing her pace. The hunter pulled her weapon, finger on the trigger. The blast wouldn't do more than tear a quick-closing hole, but it might buy her enough time if her companion decided she wasn't worth saving.

The jelly beast shimmered in the afternoon light before it stilled completely, secure that it hadn't been seen. Her feet touched the edge of the creature then continued forward.

Time slowed.

Another three steps and the ground heaved upwards, the creature solidifying as it attacked. A wave of purplish ooze came towards her. Leila could see the rough outline of a mouth. If that closed over her, she would be dead in seconds.

A black blur landed in front of her, a silver crescent cutting the mouth in half before hard arms went around her middle. D pushed off, propelling them both onto a tree branch fifteen feet overhead. There was a splitting noise, the sound of a rotted melon being sliced, and the jelly beast collapsed in on itself. A smell reminiscent of rotten eggs and feces wafted up to their perch. D didn't waste any time moving them further away. They dropped onto the forest floor without a sound.

"Stinking jelly beasts," Leila muttered as she watched the pulsing creature slowly disintegrate, leaving a steaming section of forest behind. "I don't suppose I'm getting paid for standing around and looking pretty?"

D's hand chuckled.

"You were adequate bait," the dhampir answered, a rare smirk lifting one corner of his mouth. He was facing away from the blond hunter, already heading back to the village. They could still travel tonight if they hurried.

Leila, however, had other plans.

"Don't you celebrate, just a little?" She asked. After returning from the kill, she went out on her own while D negotiated the price. Now both of them were back at the barn, and the sun was going down.

"No."

"And it shows," the blond muttered into her chest. "We always used to celebrate a job well done the minute we hit town," she said louder. "Borgoff would buy the biggest bottle of whiskey he could find." Which was exactly what she had in her hands. While D went to discuss payment with Johnson, she went ahead and poked around until she got what she wanted. And she had every intention of drinking as much of the bottle as possible as soon as possible.

Unbeknownst to Leila, D was trying his hardest not to let out a deep, long-suffering sigh. Johnson told him to stay as long as he liked, and the dhampir had every intention of leaving. _With or without her, _a small part of him whispered. That part was overridden by the larger part, the one that told her she could travel with him to New Verim.

Leila watched the dhampir carefully, but he was giving nothing away. She didn't want much, just for him to loosen up a bit before his tension made her crazy. There was nothing like liquor to do just that. "Come on, just a few drinks. Then we can sleep all day tomorrow and be ready to go come nightfall." She smirked. "Unless you're just trying to get rid of me?"

_Yes! _D yelled in the confines of his mind. _For your own protection! So stop undermining me!_ None of this showed on his face. "I don't drink," he said instead.

"Not even a little?"

D didn't answer. Instead, he swung into his saddle and extended a hand. "I said you could travel with me to New Verim, not you must." And thank God he'd found the way round that.

Just like the first time, the hunter waved away his helping hand, settling for pulling herself up by the pommel after tucking her bottle away for later consumption. It would be hard, carrying on the tradition by herself. At least with D she would have had some company.

Leila didn't have time to brace herself before they were rocketing out of the barn, the small town disappearing behind them.

They spent another half-day in the saddle, despite Leila's protests. D's hand agreed with her, but the dhampir refused to stop for anything more pressing than a bathroom stop, even when she commented on how hard it was to eat jerky when a horse was going full tilt beneath her.

The town of New Verim, located at the edge of the Inner Territories and the Frontier, was quiet when the two hunters dismounted in the late afternoon, a town holding its breath, waiting for news. The streets were busy, people attempting to get their business done before nightfall, few sparing a glance for the black clad stranger and the woman in front of him. Those few who did stared openly. Vampire abductions did that to towns. Even if the offending vampire was long gone, the people couldn't shake the fear that _they _would be next. Leila didn't have any doubt that, come nightfall, there wouldn't be a person on the street who didn't have to be there.

Elborn's house was the largest in the city, and for miles around. The brick building looked fragile in the fading light, as if made of ash and likely to blow away, a reflection of the emotions of those within. The crosses that decorated the front gate were bent and crumpled still, as if the inhabitants couldn't have been bothered with replacing them. Then, why should they? The vampire had already gotten what it wanted.

The two were greeted at the door by a wan maid and shown into an elegant parlor. The shades were drawn, the interior of the house cast in shadow. Leila stared at the lush surroundings: velvet covered couches and gleaming furniture, thick woven carpets and servants. Charlotte Elborn had given all this up to go with a vampire.

She still couldn't understand it.

_Love makes you stupid,_ that's what her father told the village before he went after her mother. Seems it didn't matter if it was a vampire in love or a human, it was all the same.

"Charlotte!"

There was the sound of running feet, then a man skidded to a stop in the doorway. She recognized Alan Elborn, his arm still in a sling. He took one look at the two hunters and backed away, shaking his head. "No," that was all he said as the blood drained from his face, leaving him waxy pale. He half-stumbled, turned, and vanished into the dim interior of the house. Leila pursed her lips.

The worst part of a hunt was coming home empty handed.

Some people screamed, demanded to know if they'd really tried at all, or simply went out of town for a few weeks. Others refused to believe the truth: that their sisters, wives, children, were dead. More than one tried to take a swing at Borgoff when he broke the news.

All of them cried.

The elder Elborn took the news of his daughter's death much better than his son. He looked surprised at seeing the two Hunters together, then sighed in painful understanding. When D dropped the small gold ring in his hand, the old man closed his fist around it and brought it to his chest.

"She didn't suffer," D said in his normal, distant tones.

The old man nodded, though she doubted he understood the words. "This was her mother's," he told them, staring at the gold ring in his hand. "She never took it off, not even to bathe. She used to wear it on a chain around her neck until she grew big enough to wear it properly." He reached into a pocket of his electric chair and pulled out a heavy bag. "20 million dallas, Hunter, as we agreed upon." The sack clinked as it was set on a table.

The dhampir picked up the bag and walked out of the room without another word. Leila followed.

"They were killed, weren't they? Your brothers."

The quiet words stopped her in mid-step. She didn't turn around. "Yeah."

"I'm sorry for you loss."

A moist, heavy weight settled in her chest, threatening to choke off her air. The feeling spread out from her heart, hot and hard, filling her throat and the space behind her nose and eyes. Leila hurried out of the house before she did something stupid, like crumple to the floor and cry until she ran out of tears.

D was already on his horse when she stepped outside, her saddle bag sitting on the stoop. "Don't suppose you'd like to celebrate?"

Something flew in her direction, and she grabbed the heavy bag out of the air.

"10 million dallas, plus the thousand for the jelly beast," D told her.

He was gone before she could say thank you.

_Fifty years later._

"You know, you're a real pain in the hand."

D ignored his symbiote as always. The sun was soon to rise, and he wanted to find a place to rest. This last contract had been unusually hard, pushing him dangerously close to his breaking point.

"This ignoring thing is really getting old. If it weren't for me, you'd be dead by now. You never listen to me, and then you go off and get yourself damn-near killed. You have any idea how hard it is to get someone to agree to let you live in their hand?"

The dhampir tuned out his symbiote as he settled into a hollow for the coming dawn. The thick bowl would give adequate protection from the sun, his hat and cloak would do the rest. Once he was settled in, he pulled out his processor.

"It's not even worth it to look at the boards anymore," his symbiote muttered. "It took three years for this one to pop up, the first true vampire in over ten years, not just some dhampir, and we havent seen one of those for near seven. Face it, D, you just might be the last person on earth with vampire blood."

D scrolled through the listings. Were-hunters, exorcisers, priests, all were asked for, but not Vampire Hunters. Perhaps his symbiote was right, perhaps he really was the last.

A simple listing caught his attention, an ornate D its only designation.

_D,_

_I'm dying. Get your ass to the Tyler Hills, a place called Suffold._

_Bring flowers._

_Leila._

_Fin._

Thank you for reading! Special thanks goes out to dumdeedum, Melly, Royal blueKitsune, Kitala, For all Tid, and pheonix 521 for their wonderful reviews!

For those of you wondering, Elizabeta is a character in another VHD fic I'm currently working on, but won't be posted for a while :)


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